TODAY IN BUSINESS

Published: August 15, 2006

COMPUTER BATTERIES RECALLED -- Dell is recalling 4.1 million notebook computer batteries because they could erupt in flames, the company said. It will be the largest safety recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The recall raises broader questions about lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a host of other devices. [Page A1.]

PEPSICO NAMES NEW CHIEF -- PepsiCo said that its president and chief financial officer, Indra K. Nooyi, left, would succeed Steven S. Reinemund as chief executive on Oct. 1. Ms. Nooyi, 50, who was born in India, will be PepsiCo's fifth chief executive in its 41-year history, and the first woman. Her promotion will make Pepsico, with $33 billion in sales, the largest United States company by market value led by a woman, and the third-largest by revenue, behind Archer Daniels Midland and Kraft Foods. [C1.]

CONCERN IN INDIA OVER SODA BANS -- Industry groups in India are concerned that recent bans on Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola could harm the country's image as an attractive place for foreign investment. [C5.]

QUESTIONS ON PLAVIX -- Bernard C. Sherman, the owner of a generic drug maker, has seemingly outsmarted Bristol-Myers and Sanofi-Aventis to market the first generic form of the drug Plavix five years before its patent expires. Now the Department of Justice is investigating whether Bristol and Sanofi tried to conceal part of a deal they were negotiating with Mr. Sherman to settle a lawsuit on the validity of their patent. [C1.]

SEARCH PORTRAITS -- In a practice known as behavioral targeting, Internet companies like Yahoo and AOL are using computer models to analyze records of what their users search for and then displaying advertising meant to speak directly to individual interests. [C1.]

GOOGLE COUPONS -- Starting today, Google will let any business offer discount coupons to people who use its Google Maps service, which also acts as an online yellow pages. [C2.]

TOUGH JOB IN THE AIR -- Flight attendants, whose profession was once considered glamorous, may have one of the toughest jobs in the airline industry these days. And now that new terror threats have come to light, they have to deal with travelers who are increasingly confused and agitated about new restrictions and long security lines. [C1.]

RISE IN TIME CARD TRAVEL -- Last week's travel disruptions gave a sharp boost to a small but fast-growing segment of the private jet market -- the niche that allows customers to purchase time cards that allow them to fly a certain model of jet by the hour, without the financial burdens of ownership. [C7.]

GROWTH IN EUROPE -- The economy in the 12 nations that use the euro currency grew at its fastest quarterly rate since 2000, a development that is expected to fortify the resolve of the European Central Bank to raise interest rates again this year. [C3.]

DEBATE ON INDEXING -- The gloves have come off in a debate over indexing -- ways that investors can efficiently buy large baskets of stocks that mirror significant segments of the overall market. Market Place [C3.]

EX-ENRON CHIEF SAID TO BE LIABLE -- Federal prosecutors say that Jeffrey K. Skilling, the former Enron chief, is liable not only for his own ill-gotten gains, but also for those of the late Kenneth L. Lay. [C3.]

JONES AUCTION MAY BE DROPPED -- The Jones Apparel Group, the $5 billion clothing conglomerate that owns Barneys New York, plans to abandon its months-long auction after failing to find a buyer willing to meet its price, people involved in the process said. The called-off auction is a stinging disappointment for the managers and directors of Jones Apparel, which includes such brands as Anne Klein and Nine West, and may be an indication of more problems at the company. [C1.]

S.E.C. CRITICIZED -- The chairmen of two Senate committees have written to the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission saying they are troubled by the agency's handling of allegations that political considerations impeded the investigation of a prominent hedge fund, Pequot Capital Management. [C3.]

NEW EDITOR AT THE VOICE -- David Blum, a veteran writer and editor at New York magazine, has been named editor in chief of The Village Voice. [E2.]

STOCKS EDGE HIGHER -- The Dow Jones industrial average rose 9.84 points, or 0.09 percent, to 11,097.87. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index edged up 1.47 points, or 0.12 percent, to finish at 1,268.21. The Nasdaq composite index did best among the major indexes, up 11.33 points, or 0.55 percent, at 2,069.04. [C8.]

UNPREDICTABLE PROMOTIONS -- Mock advertisements on the video site YouTube are capturing the attention of ad creators, who are sometimes flattered and sometimes aggravated by the attention. Advertising. [C6.]

ONLINE

E-COMMERCE REPORT -- Two shopping services, Mpire.com and Slide.com, present new variations on the traditional method of finding items online. A report is at nytimes.com/business.

AMERICA'S MISSING MEN -- Millions of men in the prime of their lives, between 30 and 55, have dropped out of regular work. The Times's Louis Uchitelle talks with one of them at nytimes.com/business.

TECHNOLOGY -- Next month, Canon will release the world's smallest and least expensive high-definition tape camcorder. A report by David Pogue is at nytimes.com/technology.